Panasonic's WV-SP509E network surveillance camera had the best performance at the shootout

On the 17th of January 2012, under controlled conditions, a variety of CCTV application scenarios and installation environments were recreated at a sales channel event held at Milestone Systems in Denmark. The participants gauged the performance of four surveillance camera brands and models in four installation and monitoring scenarios. Independent and external industry professionals ‘voted blind’ by giving their structured responses to questions about performance criteria in each environment. To further enhance the objectivity of the conditions, an independent third party was responsible to count the voting tallies, and the controlled surveillance conditions were the same for all four manufacturers who chose to take part in the event.

High definition and megapixel cameras bring previously unsurpassed performance standards for IP video surveillance through their abilities to deliver high resolution detail and widescreen formats that optimise results. Part of the reason d’être for the event was to highlight what happens when a surveillance camera is challenged by conditions including; intense backlight, extreme low light and other adversities. The big question to be answered was: which surveillance camera would work best in the most scenarios. It was Panasonic’s network video camera model WV-SP509E that edged out the other video surveillance cameras in the overall majority of instances.

For the four major surveillance camera manufacturers who participated in the event at Milestone’s sales offices in Denmark, the four application scenarios and installation environments presented were: Indoor, Outdoor, Entrance/Exit and Low Light.

More than 200 industry professionals from the Nordic region’s security industry attended the event with distributors, installers, consultants, advisors and end users participating. Blind votes were based on additional criteria including; Bandwidth Usage, Image Clarity, Light and Colour Reproduction Accuracy and Representation.

To ensure the anonymity of the camera equipment during the voting, participants were only able to see a number that represented each surveillance camera and brand names were not visible. Each of the surveillance camera manufacturers was limited to bring one camera model to be used in all of the four scenarios to illustrate how the different situations can create varying demands. The cameras were fixed models with a minimum of a 2 megapixel sensor and high definition image quality. To add extra real-world parameters, each camera was installed and set up using the default factory settings.

The Panasonic WV-SP509E is the latest product offering as a part of the WV-SP500/WV-SW500 series in early 2012. The new camera delivers the utmost picture quality in Full-HD 1080p. With full ratification from ONVIF, the specification that defines a common protocol for network video devices including automatic device discovery, video streaming and intelligence metadata, Panasonic promises installers and end users some of the most advanced features and best return on investment available in the security technology market today.

WV-SP509E also delivers up to 1920x1080p Full-HD images seamlessly across data networks through multiple H.264 and JPEG encoded streams for simultaneous real time monitoring and Full-HD recording. This technology is achievable through UniPhier®, the proprietary Panasonic system LSI platform. At 1080p Full-HD resolution, progressive scan images are produced at no less than 30 frames per second, enabling security professionals to see every detail and movement necessary to provide the best possible surveillance recording and monitoring and resulting in better delivery of total security management.

All the camera models included in the shootout are supported by Milestone XProtect® video management software via dedicated drivers. Milestone Device Packs are released regularly that include driver support for new models of IP video surveillance cameras and video encoders, to provide feature interoperability with XProtect VMS. This hardware support from Milestone software ensures a wide choice of models available for different installation requirements, which is a key feature of the Milestone open platform concept.

It was Panasonic's network video camera model WV-SP509E that edged out the other video surveillance cameras in the overall majority of instances

“Milestone Systems thought it would be interesting to hold the Camera Shootout as an example to illustrate the concepts of variability when planning an installation. New models are coming out in the market all the time and Milestone works with almost 100 hardware manufacturers to ensure our software support. Milestone installation partners today can choose from more than 1,000 network camera models when they design security systems for end customers, and new ones become available on a regular basis,” said Raziel Bareket, Country Manager for Milestone Systems in Denmark.

Criteria for a good security camera

Video surveillance technology is developing rapidly, but it can sometimes be hard to know what characterises a good security camera. People at the event also identified 5 key considerations when selecting the right security camera:

Look first and foremost at picture quality and accurate colour representation. How true are the colours under varying conditions?

Go for a good all-round camera that produces good images both day and night. How much light does it take to see the image clearly in the dark?

Look at the network bandwidth consumption, which should be as low as possible. If the image data takes up too much of the network bandwidth, it will also require extensive storage space.

Select a camera that can be integrated with other systems such as access control, intruder alarms, fire systems or perimeter security

Select a recognised manufacturer who has expertise in all components of the camera and a wide dealer network to ensure high quality service and support.

The camera that performed best in the majority of scenarios was Panasonic’s WV-SP509E which is the first in a complete line up of Panasonic Full-HD cameras being launched in 2012 with full availability expected in the market by the end of April 2012. With every detail taken into account in Panasonic’s R&D process for the new range of Full-HD intelligent i-Pro SmartHD WV-SP500 camera series, it seems clear that it will be specified by the smartest of installers who are seeking to deliver the very best surveillance available.